


Jingle Bells

by baegin_ae



Series: Derek and the Toy Piano [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-03
Updated: 2014-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-07 08:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1117838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baegin_ae/pseuds/baegin_ae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles decides to encourage Derek's piano playing, just in time for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jingle Bells

So Stiles feels pretty bad about the whole piano book fiasco. It’s become the wolf-shaped elephant in the room with the pack, how no one mentions the little piano in Derek’s apartment. He’s started playing it again at random times, but since he only had the beginner’s book, his song repertoire is limited. When Boyd and Erica tag-team Isaac and the rest of the pack winds up in a giant puppy pile of snarling and punches, he breaks out an upbeat “She’ll be coming round the mountain” to go along with the fight. When Alison stops by to talk to Scott, he plays the first bar of Beethovan’s 5th and Scott has to take her outside before she shoots him. The thing is, no one has the heart to say anything to him. After the initial absurdity died down, no one really knew how to bring up the fact that Derek was carrying around his childhood toy piano and playing nursery rhymes on it. Peter had made one comment on how lucky Derek was that something survived the fire and Derek had punched him so hard Peter had passed out. So, yeah, no one was willing to touch that with a ten foot pole, least of all Stiles.

In fact, Stiles actually thinks it’s kind of nice that Derek has found something to bring him joy in his life that won’t burn his home down or try to kill him. He might even encourage it by telling Derek that he’s getting better, or giving him ideas for new songs to play. 

He finds himself looking online for more sheet music and leaving it strategically around Derek’s apartment. He knows that Derek’s found them when he starts playing Kumbaya the next time Peter tries to antagonize Erica. It’s no surprise that he finds himself with an entire folder on his computer of sheet music for Derek just in time for Christmas. And since Isaac is staying with Scott and Peter’s fucked off to god knows where, Stiles feels like it’s his duty to make sure the idiot doesn’t stew in misery for too long. He prints out the rest of the songs and puts them in a nice binder with a sticker of a piano on the front he got at the dollar store. It’s nearing midnight Christmas Eve and his dad is asleep so he doesn’t think he’ll be missed if he’s only gone for a half-hour.

He drives to the apartment first, but the door’s locked and no one answers. At first he thinks that Derek is just ignoring him, but when he goes back outside he notices that the camaro is gone and, huh, that means that Derek is somewhere else and since he’s relatively certain that no supernatural business is going down, there’s only one place he can really think of that Derek might be, which hell no. This is worse than he thought. He gets back in his jeep and drives towards the old Hale house. 

The camaro is parked out front and Stiles has to sit in his car for a minute with how ridiculous Derek is, spending Christmas in the burnt-out shell of his family home. He’s just picking up the binder when he hears it, a tiny plinking sound. Slowly, Stiles rolls down his window and sure enough he can hear Derek’s toy piano tinking away. He’s frozen for a second listening to the little plings when he realizes that Derek’s playing Jingle Bells for himself. He almost wants to laugh again it’s so ridiculous. 

Stiles doesn’t think Derek even knows he’s here yet so he stays quiet, one hand around the binder and listens as Derek finishes the song. The woods are achingly quiet afterwards. He looks down at the clock and sees that it’s a few minutes past midnight, officially Christmas. The piano starts up again and he sucks in his breath. Derek’s playing happy birthday. Because of course he’s a Christmas baby, Derek Hale is just a breathing tragedy and this cannot get anymore pathetic than it already is. This time he can’t stop the hysterical laughter that bubbles out of him and he’s not at all surprised when the music cuts out and a few seconds later he has a very scowly alpha looming in his window. 

“Sup.” He can’t resist giving Derek a little wave, still smiling like a lunatic.

Derek just glares at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “What are you doing here?” 

He holds up the binder, waving it around in front of Derek’s face. “Came to give you a Christmas present. And a birthday present too, I guess. Though that must really suck, getting joint presents and stuff. Did that happen a lot when you were-” and that would be Derek growling at him and ripping the binder out of his hands. “We should have a birthday party or something. So that you can get two presents. I mean, it’s only fair, right?” Derek is flipping through the binder, eyes flitting up and down the pages and he doesn’t look anywhere near to answering Stiles. Stiles sighs. “Right. Welp, I’ll just be going then. Just wanted to stop by and make sure you weren’t dead and give you that. So. Mission accomplished.” Derek doesn’t even look up, just takes a step away from the window so that Stiles can back up without running him over. 

He’s got the car in reverse and his head already craned around to see behind him when Derek says, “Stiles.” He looks back and Derek’s got the binder closed now, glaring down at it like it’s going to jump up and bite him or something. Stiles waits. “Thanks.” Then Derek’s bounding away back into the darkness and probably to play some his new songs on the piano. Stiles can’t really help it if he’s smiling all the way home at the thought.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't stop, the toy piano au is taking over my life, send help!


End file.
